Everybody Needs Somebody
by Two Girls One Account
Summary: Coffee shop AU (because no account is complete without one) Clary has been working for Sebastian in his coffee shop for a while now, enduring all kinds of abuse. She finally finds the courage to quit and join the coffee shop across the street, Herondale Coffee Co.
1. Chapter 1

**To that guest who reviewed on our last story "** **Should I be excited for the new stories? Coming out in 2019? When you finally decide to update?" Haha, cute review but joke's on you! Because our next story is now bitch! Enjoy :)**

Free Cupcake

"I'd like a low fat soy macchiato with a little bit of sugar, but not too much sugar, topped with whipped cream, but not too much whipped cream. Three cherries on the side, no more, no less, and shaken, not stirred," the guy adjusted his hipster glasses and looked up from his phone for just long enough to make sure Clary got the order right. She smiled, remembering that the customer is always right, and read the order back to him, word for word. The hipster asshole smiled, and added, "oh, and make it with goat's milk."

Clary's smile faded. "Oh, sorry, we don't have goat's milk."

The guy's smile never faltered. "What the fuck did you just say to me?"

Clary shook her head, trying to understand what she said wrong. "I'm sorry sir, but we don't carry goat's milk here. I can make it with soy milk if that's alright. Or almond milk?"

"Did I fucking say I wanted fucking almond milk, you twat? I said goat's milk. ARE YOU DEAF?"

"No, I heard you, but as I just said, we don't carry goat's milk." Clary smiled politely, trying her best to hide the shaking in her hands.

The man exhaled loudly, like a bull getting ready to charge. "HOW DARE—"

"Is there a problem here?" Sebastian asked, coming up behind Clary. He placed a gentle hand on Clary's shoulder protectively.

The douchebag smirked. "Yes, this insensitive cow won't give me my order. She also insulted my mother. I would like to issue a formal complaint."

Clary immediately tried to defend herself, looking up at Sebastian with big pleading eyes. "I didn't—"

"It's ok," he said, rubbing her back gently. She shivered under his touch. Seb looked back at the douche canoe with a smirk of his own. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Who the fuck do you think you are? You can't kick me out of here."

"I'm the owner, and that's exactly what I'm doing."

The douche scoffed, clearly offended. He turned and left, mumbling something about his plans to review us on Yelp.

"Thanks," Clary mumbled, not looking up at him.

"See me in my office please, Miss Fray," he whispered in her ear seductively, his hand dipping lower just as he walked towards the closed door at the back of the room. Clary shivered again, following him to his office.

Once she was inside, Sebastian closed the door behind him. He smiled over at her, before coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "I missed you," he whispered in her ear, leaning down to slowly kiss her neck. "I didn't get to see you all day." His voice was rough with desire. His hand slid from her waist downward, sliding under the fabric of her shirt.

Clary grabbed his hand. "Sebastian, stop. You have a girlfriend. And you know it makes me uncomfortable when you touch me like that."

"Don't lie," he whispered, dragging his teeth against her neck. "You know you like it." His hand dipped lower, grabbing Clary in a place she really didn't want him to touch. "Kaelie won't be back for a little while. That's more than enough time for me to finally have my way with you," he growled.

He pressed himself against her, _hard,_ grinding into her and slowly forcing her down towards the desk, until she was completely bent over. His hand slid under the fabric of her stupid uniform skirt, while the other hand gripped one of her pigtails.

Clary could feel her heart beating in her throat. She didn't want this. He knew she didn't want this. "Stop," she whispered, the word barely audible. She took an uneven breath, a s threatening to escape. She knew he couldn't hear her. She knew even if he did he probably wouldn't care.

"Stop," she said, finally loud enough for him to hear. She mustered all the strength she could to push him off of her. "My shift is over, I need to leave," she said, her voice barely a whisper. But she knew this time he heard her.

She turned to leave and felt a hard slap on her ass. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Clary ran out the door, leaving Erchomai Coffee behind her, feeling like she couldn't escape fast enough.

She walked across the street to the coffee shop that resided there. Herondale Coffee Co. was a small bakery type place with a pale blue door and copper window frames. Clary always felt at home here.

She walked into the little shop, smiling when she heard the bells chime. The first thing she saw was Kaelie, who was very obviously flirting with the blond guy, (who Clary had many sex dreams about, not that she would admit it,) trying to clean tables. He was very obviously not interested.

Clary made a point to not catch Kaelie's eye and went to stand in line, waiting to have her order taken. The barista was a tall, pretty girl with long black hair. She wore the yellow t-shirt that seemed to be the uniform of this place. Clary felt suddenly envious. She wished she didn't have to wear her stupid skimpy skirt, pigtails and more than revealing green blouse. But she knew if she didn't come to work in uniform, Sebastian would just give her shift away and send her home.

There were only a few people in line ahead of her, so she reached the front of the line quickly. Just as she was about to take her order, the tall girl was shoved aside sharply and replaced by the tall guy with gold hair and matching eyes. He smiled, charmingly. "Hi Clary. The usual?"

Clary smiled when she saw his familiar face, trying to hide her more than obvious blush. "Hi Jace. And yes, the usual please."

Clary heard Kaelie scoff from behind her, then the bell on the door. Which hopefully meant she left.

Jace smiled at her, as he did everyday when he took her order, and left to make her drink. The tall brunette returned just after, standing at the cash register as though nothing happened. She was familiar to Clary, though she never bothered to learn her name, and the girl seemed to refuse to wear a name tag, though given the other employees, a name tag was obviously part of the uniform.. She only knew Jace because he had introduced himself about three times the first time she came in here a few weeks ago.

Clary went to sit at her usual table by the window and took one of the review cards from the little holder. Clary loved leaving reviews. She thought the people here should know how amazing their little shop is.

 _Customer service was perfect, as usual,_ she wrote. _So happy I feel so at home here._

 _Can't wait to come back tomorrow._

 _Xoxo - Clary_

She looked up from her card just as cup hit table, and despite herself, she flinched. She took a deep breath, steadying herself as she looked up at Jace. He set the pink cupcake down next to her cup of hot chocolate with three baby marshmallows.

On the cup was writing in black marker, as usual. The writing said _Little Red,_ which seemed to be what everyone called her around here. She didn't mind.

Clary pulled out her wallet to pay, but Jace just waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. This one's on the house."

Clary smiled, settling into her chair and picking up her cup of hot chocolate, wishing every moment could be like this one.

 **Hey guys, this our new story, and we're really excited for it. Just to let you all know, this is a baby fic, so it will be just under 10 chapters. This is our first attempt at a kind of serious fic, and also our first time really proof reading our shit. Like we didn't just write it and post it. We actually read through it many times. Aren't we so profesh?**

 **We have a lot of fics planned out for this summer and this upcoming year that we're really excited about. This story is us preparing for another actually serious story with some actual plot (and minimal fuckery, but still humor, duh) so get hyped for that!**

 **K bye**

 **-R &A**


	2. Chapter 2

**To all those bitches who say we never update, who's laughing now?**

 **(watch us not update for a month after this lol)**

Free from Sebastian

The second Clary walked into work the next day, she was called into Sebastian's office. But Clary ignore him, walking to the cash register and starting to take people's orders.

Sebastian was not happy about that, but he left her for the time being.

Once Kaelie came in, she took over at cash so Clary could begin clearing tables.

She began taking dirty cups off of tables and bringing them back to the kitchen, groaning when she saw the large pile of dishes she knew she would have to wash later.

Clary returned from the kitchen with a tray, hoping that would make the job easier. She stood at one of the dirtier tables, clearing as many dishes as she could in one trip, when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned, ready to face Sebastian, but found that she was face to face with the golden boy from across the street.

She couldn't help but smile. "Hi Jace."

He smiled back. "Hi Little Red."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying not to blush.

"Oh, you know," he shrugged. "Just checking out the competition. Also, you forgot something at the shop yesterday."

"Really? What did I forget?"

Jace's smile widened. "My phone number." He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her.

Clary blushed, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear and tucking the paper into her shirt pocket. Jace smirked, shooting her finger guns and walking backwards towards the door. "I'll see you later today, Little Red," he said, just before falling over a table, knocking over everything that was on it and landing on his butt. Jace sat for a moment, trying to collect himself. "Uh… So call me?"

He didn't wait for a response. He stood from the mess of paper cups, scooped them all off the ground in one go, tossing them in the trash and ran for it. _Nailed it._

Clary couldn't help but giggle as she watched him run across the street, almost trampling an old lady.

Once he had gone back through the light blue door across the street, Clary smiled to herself and continued cleaning tables. It seemed like it was going to be a really good day.

Until Clary felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned slowly, knowing exactly who was standing behind her.

Sebastian smiled, almost like he was resisting the urge to peel off his own face.

"See me in my office," he said, turning slowly and walking towards the closed door in the back. He didn't look back, so he probably just assumed that Clary was following him. Which she was.

Once she was inside, Sebastian closed the door behind her. Clary cringed at the sound, remembering what happened yesterday. But Sebastian did not creep up behind her like last time. He faced her, just within arms reach, and slapped her across the face with all his force.

Clary fell to the floor, not prepared for the hit. Tears welled in her eyes, but she tried her best to blink them away.

Sebastian picked her up by her hair and held her up so she was once again face to face with him.

"What the hell was that," he snarled, gripping her so tight she thought he would tear the hair from her head.

Clary didn't have time to say anything before he slammed her face into his desk and let her slide to the floor.

She could feel her nose begin to gush blood. She brought her hand to her face to attempt to stop the bloodflow, but not before Seb kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying to the floor.

Clary groaned in pain, trying to take a deep breath and she finally allowed the tears to stream down her face. She tried to get up, but Seb placed his shoe against her cheek, holding her to the floor.

He leaned down, putting an uncomfortable amount of pressure against her face.

"You're mine," he whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear. He reached down into her shirt pocket and pulled out the small piece of paper. "If you ever try something like this again-"

"I quit," Clary sobbed.

It was quiet for a moment. No sound other than Clary's heavy breathing.

Sebastian reached down and picked Clary up by her hair once again.

Just before he could say anything, the door opened.

"Oh, sorry about that," the guy said, tall, with blue eyes and black hair, looking embarrassed, as though he had walked in on something private. Which, in a way, he had. "I thought this was the bathroom. You guys should really fix your signs. Anyway…" The man walked away, but left the door opened.

Everyone was staring at them.

All the customers, even Kaelie, were all looking at them.

Sebastian released her hair and rushed to close the door, but not before Clary slipped through it. "I'll mail you my resignation," she said, before rushing out the door of the cafe, not daring to look back.

Clary walked across the street, past the coffee shop with the blue door, towards Central Park, which was only a few streets past it.

Clary used to come here during her breaks, before she decided to finally go into HCC's a few weeks ago. She loved that little shop.

She would have gone there now, but she didn't want to face Jace when she was so bruised and covered in blood and tears.

Clary pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stop the bleeding, as the blood dripped down onto her shirt, ruining her uniform. _Good,_ she thought, excited that she would get to throw it away when she got home, never having to put it on again.

 _But now you don't have a job, idiot. Good luck paying your half of the rent._

Clary sobbed, snot dripping through the blood, slumping down onto a park bench and scaring some pigeons. She didn't want to go home. Didn't walk to see her brother. Didn't want him to be disappointed. Didn't want to explain to him what happened. She leaned forward, trying to help her bleeding nose, but just ended up sobbing, taking harsh and scattered breaths as she attempted to calm herself.

She didn't care about the pain or the bruises. She was used to them. But now she had lost the only way to provide for herself. Soon she would be broke and living off her brother, who was already struggling to provide for himself. _Idiot,_ she thought, feeling the tears fall more and more as they splattered on the concrete below her. _Idiot. Idiot. Idiot._ Clary felt her heart beating a million miles a minute, threatening to fly right out of her chest. She tried her best to quell the panic attack before it became something too severe.

"Well hello there, young pedestrian," said a voice from behind her. Clary nearly jumped out of her own skin. She clutched her chest and turned to see a tall man in a suit, which was completely covered in gold sequins, holding a leash that was connected to a fat grey cat lying on a skateboard, with a rather large beach umbrella attached to it. "You seem kinda down. Maybe you just need a little magic in your life," he said, reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a bouquet of flowers. He didn't seem at all startled by Clary's beaten face, tear streaked cheeks or bleeding nose. But given what he was wearing, Clary was sure nothing could startle him.

When she didn't take the flowers, the man frowned, pouting like a puppy. He dragged his cat over and sat next to her. Clary didn't move away. Something just seemed so familiar about him.

"Ouch," he said, pointing at her nose. "That looks like it hurts." He reached over and cupped his hands around her nose, then said something in what could have been French, but also could have been Cantonese. When he pulled his hand away, though she was still covered in blood and her nose still felt like a swollen grapefruit on her face, she was no longer bleeding. She touched her nose in amazement. The man smiled at her, wiggling his fingers like jazz hands. "Tada," he smiled. He reached towards her again, this time to wipe a tear from her cheek. He went to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, and when he pulled his hand away he was holding something round in his hand. A biscuit. "So, what's got you down, Biscuit?" he asked, reaching behind her ear to pull out a blueberry muffin for himself.

Clary sniffled, taking a pinch of her biscuit. She didn't know why she trusted this guy in the sparkly suit, but he seemed nice. She liked him. So she explained everything.

He didn't interrupt her throughout the whole story. Only patting her on the shoulder occasionally and eating his muffin.

When she was done talking, she finally took the first bite of her biscuit. It was delicious. And familiar. "This is from Herondale's," she said, taking another bite.

"What?" the man looked offended. "No no no," he said, reaching behind her ear again. "It's from magic!" he pulled out another biscuit and handed it to her. "Ok, yeah, it's from Herondale's."

"I love that place," Clary smiled, devouring the rest of her first biscuit and starting on her second.

"Hey, I've got an idea," the man said, suddenly getting as excited as a 12 year old girl at a 5 Seconds of Summer concert. He flapped his hands and jumped up and down. "You should audition!"

"Audition?" Clary said around a mouth full of pastry.

"Yeah," the man said, still jumping. Clary squinted, the man's suite blinding her a little. "Their baker is retiring because he graduated from police school or whatever, so the position is open and they're having auditions tomorrow!" He fell to his knees, throwing his hands in the air and confetti exploded from his sleeves.

"I don't know," Clary said, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. She wanted desperately to take it off and considered how willing she was to strip down in the middle of the park. "I'm not very confident in the kitchen. I've always liked baking but—"

"But nothing, Biscuit. I'm hosting the event and my boyfriend is one of the judges. You've got it in the bag. So you better show up or else I'll unfix your nose."

"Well…"

"Come on," he said, grabbing her by the hands and pulling her off the bench. "What have you got to lose?" He gave her his pouty face again which was, honestly, too cute to say no to.

"Alright," Clary said, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I could give it a shot."

The man squealed like a baby pig, picking Clary up bridal style and spinning her around.

He stopped spinning abruptly. "We need to get you ready. You've only got one night to find the perfect recipe to wow the judges!"

The man bent down to pick up the leash without dropping Clary, which was actually pretty impressive, and asked, "so where do you live?"

Clary snorted. "I really don't think I should tell a stranger where I-"

"Magnus Bane," he said, trying to extend his hand that was tucked under her legs, but changed his mind when he almost dropped her.

"Wait… Like the famous magician?"

He smiled. "The one and only."

Clary smiled, feeling stupid for not recognising him sooner. "Clary Fray," she said, patting him on the cheek in place of a handshake. "My brother is a huge fan."

Magnus smiled at her and began walking off in a seemingly random direction. "I guess we could just go to my place," he said. "I've got a big kitchen and a sequin dress that'll fit you like a dream. That is, if Alec lets you borrow it."

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Leave us a review if you liked it. Let us know your thoughts!**

 **xoxo**

 **-R &A**


	3. Chapter 3

**To the person who said they miss our crack fics, 1. we have a crack fic on the way, and 2. how dare you assume that just because this fic is serious and we worked hard on it and it has a plot that it isn't still a crack fic**

Free Mango Muffin

Clary stood in Magnus's kitchen, attempting once again to perfect this _stupid_ cheese souffle.

Magnus had suggested the recipe, saying that something so flashy and complicated would give her a good chance. But she had no idea how to make a _fucking goddamn cheese souffle!_

She groaned in frustration again, looking down at the watery mush that sat on the plate of her 5th attempt.

Magnus frowned down at the goop. "Maybe we should try leaving it in the oven longer?" he said, just as they heard the door shut.

They turned towards the front door to see a tall man with black hair and a matching suit.

"Hello," Clary said, extending her hand to the stranger. "You must be Alec."

He squinted at her. First at her bruised face, which he seemed to ignore, then her blazing red hair. "You're a ginger," he said, extending his hand. It wasn't an insult, or a compliment really. Just an observation.

"Alec," Magnus said, scolding him. "That's terribly rude. There's nothing wrong with being Irish."

"Swiss, actually," Clary corrected.

"What? Then why the hell can't you make a _CHEESE_ souffle?"

Alec threw his briefcase onto the leather couch in their minimalist living room, which was, of course, tastefully decorated.

"You seem familiar. Have we met before?" Clary asked, almost absentmindedly.

"No," he responded without hesitation.

"So," Clary said, changing the subject. "Magnus was wondering if I could borrow your sequin dress for the baker's audition tomorrow."

Alec turned a bright shade of red. "It's not my dress," he said through clenched teeth. "Magnus, no matter how many sequin dresses you buy, I am not going to be your sexy magician's assistant."

"Boo, you whore," Magnus yelled through a mouthful of mushy souffle.

Alec rolled his eyes and walked across the living room through the door on the other side. "I'll be in my office," he said before closing the bathroom door.

"It's not you," Magnus said reassuringly. "He just doesn't know how to interact with people."

Clary sighed, walking back behind the counter and began moving the plates of failed souffles aside. "I don't know why you suggested this. I've never been good at souffle. Can't I make something I'm comfortable with?"

Magnus shrugged. "Do you, boo. We have all night to prepare."

"Crap," Clary cursed under her breath. It was getting late, and her brother had no idea where she was. "I just need to make a quick phone call first," she said to Magnus, stepping into another room and pulling out her phone. There were three missed calls, all from John.

Clary dialed his number and waited as the phone rang.

"Clary?" John asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah, hi."

"Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to be home an hour ago, I've been worried sick."

Clary smiled. "Sorry. I got caught up with a friend. I think I'm going to stay the night."

There was a pause.

"What friend?" John sounded skeptical. Which was reasonable, since Clary didn't have any friends.

"Magnus," she said, hoping she wouldn't have to continue, knowing how her brother would react.

"Magnus who?" he asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Clary sighed. "Magnus Bane."

There was a squeal on the other side of the line, so high pitched that it almost sounded like nails on a chalkboard. There was a clacking sound, like the phone had hit the floor. Then several thumps that followed, which Clary recognised as the sound of John jumping up and down.

He picked back up the phone. "Sorry, I dropped the phone."

"So I heard."

"Clary, where does he live? What is his favourite flower? Clary. Clary, where is his window? I'll get my boombox. I have careless whisper on CD. Clary, tell me."

Clary giggled. "Ok, it was nice talking to you John. I'll see you tomorrow."

 **OoOoOoO**

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, those who don't identify by a gender, welcome to the grand competition that will echo throughout history! ECHO ECho echo..."

"Magnus, it's literally just the three of us here. The contestants aren't even here. They're in the kitchen. There's no audience. What the fuck."

Magnus smiled, ignoring Jace's comment. "Today, our contestants will be competing for eternal glory, and a job, but mostly eternal glory, by seeing who can bake the best pastry and impress the judges! Our judge's panel consists of the handsome accountant slash lawyer with an even more handsome, sexy, incredible boyfr—"

"Magnus," Alec interrupted.

"Yes, me. Alec Lightwood!" Magnus clapped his hands with way more enthusiasm than was necessary. "Next, is the amazing ex baker of Herondale Coffee Co. who left to join the police force that sorta not really protects this city, Jordan Kyle!" He clapped again, less fiercely, but it was still kinda too much. "And finally, the beautiful, the blonde, the owner of this shop, the cranky because a certain redhead still hasn't called him, Jace Herondale!" Magnus clapped slowly and sarcastically, getting closer and closer to Jace until his hands were in his face.

"The desserts will be brought out one by one for you, and at the end the baker will be revealed after you pick the winner."

Magnus walked behind the counter to where a cloth was lying flat. He lifted it, and underneath where the cloth had been completely flat, were three plates. He distributed the plates and brought the golden microphone, which was not plugged into anything, back to his mouth. "This contestant has brought you a little taste of their hometown with this Mexican pastry. The salsa cupcake is made with delicious tortilla dough stuffed with salsa and topped with moist guacamole." Magnus whispered the last few words in Jace's ear, backing up slowly for dramatic effect.

The three judges lifted the cupcake to their mouths and simultaneously took a bight. Jordan smiled, making a delighted sound as he chewed and swallowed.

Jace shrugged, not spitting it out but not seeming overly pleased.

Alec chewed his bite with an open mouth as though he was trying not to let it touch his tongue. He leaned over his plate and let the food fall out of his mouth like an avalanche of tortilla and guacamole. He looked up at the other two judges with a frown. "I don't like it," he whined, crinkling his nose.

Magnus sighed at his ridiculous boyfriend as he moved the three plates out of the way and brought three new ones. These ones held tiny spherical cakes about two inches in diameter. "This next contestant made a creamy strawberry cheesecake with caramel sauce. Much more boring than the last dish, but whatever, just eat it," Magnus shrugged.

"I like the presentation," Jace said, admiring the way the golden-brown sauce decorated the plate surrounding the cake.

"It looks fully cooked," said Jordan, using his fork to turn the little cake on its side. "It's pretty hard to mess up a cheesecake, but it's impressive that they finished it with the time given."

"Yeah," Alec agreed, taking a forkful. "It looks good," he said, bringing the fork to his mouth. Once the fork touched his tongue he immediately gagged. "Oh god, oh god, it burns my soul, don't eat it!"

Jace and Jordan looked at him like he was crazy and both took a bite at the same time. They shrugged in unison.

"It's not that bad," said Jordan. "The flavor is good, it's just kind of grainy."

"CHEESE IS NOT GRAINY!" Alec yelled, waving his fork in their faces. "YOU'RE EATING CAT FECES, PEOPLE!"

Magnus attempted to calm his boyfriend as he cleared the plates and brought in the new ones.

"This next contestant prepared a classic peanut butter cookie with crushed peanuts sprinkled on top."

Jordan and Jace each took a bite of the cookie, and immediately gagged.

Jordan turned his face to the side and spit his bite into a napkin respectfully.

Jace, too afraid to be emasculated, swallowed.

Alec looked at the two boys like they were pussies. He scoffed, smirked, and lifted the cookie to his mouth. He barely licked it, and immediately started to foam at the mouth. He fell to the ground, his body seizing.

Magnus yelped, kneeling down beside Alec and began to slap him back and forth.

Alec gasped, sitting up quickly. Magnus sighed with relief.

"I thought I lost you," he muttered, wiping the foam from his mouth and leaning in for a kiss. Their lips met, and Alec projectile vomited all over Magnus' face.

 **OoOoOoO**

Magnus and Alec exited the bathroom, Alec looking extremely apologetic at a seemingly angry Magnus. He took his gold microphone and brought it back to his lips. "Thank you for waiting through that brief intermission. We will now move on to the final contestant."

Magnus brought the three plates to the three judges and smiled. "This contestant prepared a beautiful mango muffin with extra cinnamon and extra love. And nutmeg." Magnus threw a handful of gold and silver confetti. "The dough is cooked to perfection and the recipe is so perfect you all might just cum in your pants," he whispered, winking at Alec.

"Gee, I wonder who his favorite is," Jordan muttered, picking up the muffin for inspection. "It looks nice and golden brown," he observed, taking a tentative bite.

"I like mangos," Jace muttered, talking around the entire muffin, which he had somehow managed to cram in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, sighing like he was in heaven.

"Jace?" Alec asked. "Where's the paper?"

Jace paled. "Shit."

Alec rolled his eyes, looking down at the muffin. "It looks ok, I guess." He picked up the muffin and took one small bite. His eyes widened, He dropped the muffin as his hand slammed down on the table repeatedly as he let out a loud grunt.

When he finally calmed down, Alec sat there with his eyes wide, panting.

"Are you ok?" Jordan asked.

Alec blushed, swiftly closing his legs. "I'm fine," he said quickly.

"Soooooooooooooooo," Magnus said, excited. "I think we have a winner."

The three judges nodded in unison.

Magnus turned towards the back door and opened it, revealing a small redhead who for some reason was standing there the entire time. "I knew you would pick her!"

"Clary!" Jace exclaimed, standing from his seat. He rushed towards her as though he were going to hug her, then stopped a few feet away, clearing his throat. "Congrats on the job."

"Thanks," she smiled, blushing a little. "Sorry I never called. I wanted to, but I lost your number."

Jace looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's ok, I understand."

"Yeah," Alec said, nodding towards Clary. "Your muffin was much better than that seizure cookie."

"Alec," Magnus stage whispered, which was completely audible to everyone. "You literally came in your pants."

 **Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Leave a review on your way out ;)**

 **xoxo**

 **-R &A**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yaaaaayyy another chapter! Please enjoy.**

Free Brother-in-Law

Clary entered the small room, where everyone was already gathered for the staff meeting. She was in a bit of a sour mood since she had spent all morning baking muffins for the rest of the staff, but she had forgotten the basket a home.

There were six chairs lined up in front a white board, that Jace stood in front of. He held a marker in his hand as he paced back and forth. When he saw her he smiled. "Ah, you're here early," he said, motioning for her to sit down right in front of him, in between Alec and the tall brunette whose name she still didn't know.

The girl smiled at her as she sat down, offering her her hand. "Hi. I'm Isabelle."

"Shut up, Patrice!" Jace exclaimed, turning away from the whiteboard he had been concentrating on moments before.

Isabelle/Patrice sighed with exasperation. "Why can't we just get me a name tag with my actual name on it? There's never even been a Patrice that's worked here. We don't even know a Patrice."

Jace smirked at his adoptive sister. "Speaking of, we need to discuss everyone wearing their name tags when they're on duty."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't have a problem wearing it if it said my name!"

"He said shut up, Patrice!" yelled a little boy from the back, who Clary hadn't noticed until now, when she turned to look at him, startled. He was about nine years old with curly black hair like his siblings and stormy grey eyes that were now back to focusing on what looked like a math textbook. He adjusted his glasses, too big for his face, and looked up, meeting Clary's eyes. He gave her a cute lopsided smile that almost looked like a smirk, and blinked at her very hard.

"Anyway, since you're here," Jace said, turning and scooping up a bundle of fabric. He turned back to Clary and rested it in her arms. "This is your new uniform."

Clary's heart sank, thinking back to her skimpy skirt and pigtails and feared the worst. She unravelled the white fabric to find a chef's jacket and matching hat. Clary smiled, relieved that the jacket would, in fact, button up high enough to cover her cleavage. She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and pulled on the chef's hat, pleased to know it fit perfectly. She looked down at the jacket and saw that in the place of a name tag, the words _Little Red_ were embroidered in red thread.

The door swung open, revealing two tall men standing in the doorway. One of the guys was in full HCC uniform. The other, wearing a spiderman t-shirt, black-framed glasses and skinny jeans. He kissed the first guy, shoving him playfully into the room. "See you after work, my spicy tortilla." A swift smack on the ass as he left.

"Bye, Simon!" Isabelle called as he left. The other boy rolled his eyes, ignoring the girl who was obviously obsessed with his boyfriend.

Clary smiled at the boy in the uniform, holding out her hand. "Hi, I'm Clary."

The guy, who's name tag read Raphael, introduced himself.

He sat down behind Isabelle, pulling out his phone.

"Shouldn't we start the meeting?" Clary asked, turning to Jace.

"We're still waiting on a couple people."

As if on queue, the door swung open again, revealing a small brunette and a tall blonde. Their name tags read _Helen_ and _Aline_. They smiled at Clary, about to introduce themselves. Jace stepped between them, karate chopping their hands away before a handshake could be exchanged. "No! Do not introduce yourselves! We have a new employee. You know what that means."

The entire room groaned collectively, including Jace, who did it sarcastically.

"It's time for ice breakers!"

Clary quickly realized why she had been asked to come in at 4:30 in the morning. Jace was a child, and wanted to sit around and play icebreakers with his employees for two and a half hours. And Clary thought it was adorable.

When Jace left the room for a few moments Alec told Clary that Jace was a very ugly child and had no friends. So that explains a lot.

Forty-five minutes before the shop was meant to open, having won Twister, Jace finally ended the ice breakers and told everyone to bring their chairs back to the center of the room so they could officially begin their meeting.

"He's making progress," Alec muttered to Clary. "When we hired Aline a few months ago, we ended up opening three hours late."

Clary turned back to Jace, trying not to giggle, and saw that he had drawn a strange symbol on the board. It looked kind of like a childish drawing of a fish facing downwards. She squinted and tilted her head, trying to figure out what it was supposed to be.

"This is going to be our new symbol," Jace said, indicating the strange doodle on the board. "It's going to be on our shirts, on our cups, on our napkins, and I'm also considering printing it on our toilet paper. Soon it'll be as famous as the Starbucks logo. Alec, how's the trademarking coming?"

Alec stood, holding a piece of paper flat against his stomach so no one could see. "Well, turns out there this Russian company with the same logo. They manufacture hand-knitted G-strings. Anyway, we had to make a few small adjustments to make the logo our own."

Jace smiled. "That's fine. As long as the changes aren't too drastic."

Alec took a magnet from the corner of the board and pinned the piece of the paper in the center, covering Jace's original drawing with—

"What the fuck is that?" Jace demanded, staring at the page.

"Aww come on. Do you really not like it? I worked really hard on it," Alec cackled.

"IT'S FUCKING HORRIBLE!"

"Language," Isabelle muttered glancing back at her little brother.

"Shut the fuck up, Patrice," Max muttered, not even bothering to look up from his textbook.

"Alec, You need to change this. I won't have a bloodthirst beast as the face of my company!" Jace ripped the page from the board and crumpled it.

"What do you mean?" Clary asked, taking the crumpled page from Jace's hand. "It's just an adorable little ducky swimming in some hot chocolate!" Clary uncrumpled the page, holding up the small image of a baby duckling swimming in a teacup of hot chocolate, a small marshmallow lodged in its smiling beak. "Your symbol is even on the cup!"

"I like it," said Aline, Helen nodding in agreement.

Raphael looked up from his phone for a moment, before looking back down, unconcerned. His head whipped back up, as though his brain had just registered the picture. His eyes softened as he said, "aaaawwwwwwwwww a ducky!"

Jace grumbled, as though he wanted to say something rude but he didn't want to say it to Clary.

"Knock knock," came a voice from the door. They all turned to see Jordan standing in the doorway, holding a platter of cinnamon rolls. "Hey everybody. I know I'm technically fired but I just thought I'd drop in a show the newbie the ropes." Everyone stood from their seats, giving Jordan a quick hello as they left to open the shop for the day. Raphael smacked Jordan on the ass as he snagged a cinnamon roll. Max reached up for one, Isabelle taking it from his hand and putting it back on the tray, saying something about a healthy breakfast. After everyone had filed out of the room, only Jace, Alec, Clary and Jordan remained.

Clary looked at the cinnamon rolls mournfully, thinking of the muffins she had so tragically left at home.

Jordan seemed rather caught up in a conversation with Alec and Jace over the logo and how adorable he thought it was. So Clary just… very slowly… reached over… and took one or two rolls, stuffing them into her mouth.

 _Holy mother of god._

Clary's eyes almost rolled back into her head as she reached for a third, a fourth, a ninth…

"Hey, what happened to all of the cinnamon rolls?" Jordan asked, looking down at his now empty platter, then looking up at Clary, icing covering the entire bottom half of her face as she stuffed one more roll into her mouth and stashed another in her pocket. She tried to shove another down her shirt, but it fell, rolling tragically to the floor.

"Oh no!" Clary yelled mournfully. "What a horrible snaccident!" She scooped up the roll, blowing on it a couple times before stuffing it into her mouth. Clary took a moment to swallow. "They were alright I guess. I could have made them better."

"Right," Jordan smiled. He chucked the metal tray to the side, and led Clary out of the room. "You know, I only know one other person who could eat that much in one go, my boyfriend. Maybe you two should meet."

"That sounds like a horrible idea," Clary commented. "He would eat all my food."

Jordan laughed as he entered the kitchen in the back, ushering her inside.

"So, this is the kitchen," he said with a sweep of his arm.

"Obviously."

"Yes, well, this is where you'll be spending most of your time at work, so I thought I could show you around."

Clary shrugged. "Sure, I don't see why not. Maybe you could show me how you made those cinnamon rolls?"

Jordan smiled and they got to work.

 **OoOoOoO**

"I'm starving," Clary mumbled over her second empty tray of cinnamon roll. "My brother should be bringing me lunch soon."

"No way," Jordan laughed. "My boyfriend is doing the same."

"CLARY! GET YOUR FAT ASS OUT HERE I HAVE FOOOOOOOOOOD!"

Clary jumped up from her seat and ran so fast out the kitchen she put Usain Bolt to shame.

Her brother was sitting at one of the tables, with an empty basket and a Subway bag in front of him.

When she got to him he smiled, hugged her, and handed her her footlong. Which she opened immediately, and took a big bite.

She grimaced down at her sandwich. "What the hell John, did you eat the insides of my sandwich again?"

John shrugged. "I only had a little."

"There's nothing left. There isn't even any sauce. The bread is just wet."

"Whoops."

"Is that my basket of muffins?" Clary asked, pointing at the empty basket on the table. "There's nothing left."

"I got hungry," John whined.

"John, there were 14 jumbo muffins in there. And you ate your sub. And the inside of my sub. And apparently that third sub."

"Hey babe," Jordan said, walking over and kissing Clary's brother _on the mouth_. "Did you bring me my sub?"

"Babe?!" Clary exclaimed, looking back and forth between them. "Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, you had better have a real good fucking explanation about this. You're dating him? This is your boyfriend, who makes the best cinnamon rolls I ever had the extreme pleasure of putting in my mouth and you never introduced us?"

"And you ate my sandwich," Jordan said depressingly, reaching over for the subway wrapper that was crumpled on the table.

"I don't understand why you have such a huge problem with this!" Magnus yelled over his shoulder, entering the shop with a flair as he always does. "She's your sister. Why do you care if she comes over for dinner?"

Alec followed him in, shutting the door with a _bang_. "Because Magnus, what did I tell you about finding sad prostitutes and bringing them home? You can't remake the movie _Pretty Woman_ no matter how hard you try."

Magnus seemed about to reply, but was interrupted by a loud and harsh squealing noise.

John stood from his chair, his mouth hanging open as his squeal continued. He approached Magnus slowly, never once closing his mouth to swallow his drool. "You… You're… My… You…" Jordan came up swatted him on the back of the head. John shook himself like a wet dog trying to dry his fur, and spoke. "You're my hero. My sister told me she knew you but I thought it was too good to be true! I've been practicing magic since I was a kid because of you!" he said, his voice becoming more and more high pitched. He reached behind Magnus's ear and pulled out a Subway wrapper, smiling down at his own hand as though he was surprised his own trick worked. "Please, Mister Bane, I know you're probably so busy, but do you think I could maybe have your autograph?"

Magnus smiled a dazzling smile, not seeming at all bothered by this large man child crowding him. "Of course, anything for my son."

"A fan," Alec corrected.

"I said what I said," Magnus retorted, not even looking back at his boyfriend. He turned his attention back to John, his smile never faltering. "Check your shirt pocket," he said with a wink.

John smiled an excited open mouth smile, looking down and reaching into his blue officer's shirt. He pulled out a red handkerchief, and when he unfolded it, he saw that the cloth was embroidered in fancy lettering, _to John. May the magic forever be in your heart. Love, Magnus Bane._

John squealed as he read the handkerchief over and over, tears falling from his eyes as he nearly sobbed.

"It's embroidered," Alec said, clearly annoyed. "With his name. You just met him."

"It's magic, Alexander. Don't question it."

John, no longer able to hear anything but the pounding of his own heart, turned to his sister with tear stained cheeks and an ear to ear smile. "Clar-cla-cl-c-c-c-c," he stuttered.

Clary smiled, patting him on the cheek. "I know sweetie. I saw."

John just nodded his head, his mouth open in a silent scream and he hopped up and down.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Please review because we are desperate for attention and validation.**

 **xoxo**

 **-R &A**


	5. Chapter 4,5

**So you're probably wondering why this chapter is called 4.5. Or you didn't notice or don't care, but we're gonna explain anyway. It's because we wrote chapter 4, and then we wrote chapter 5, and then we decided we needed a chapter in between and this happened. And somehow it's one of the longest chapters. Oops.**

Free Lunch Break

Clary pulled a tray of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from the oven, placing the tray on the counter to let them cool down. She went to the fridge and retrieved her lunch, leaving the kitchen to meet Jace at their usual spot.

She sat down with Jace at their little table by the window, unwrapping her sandwich as he smiled and slid a cupcake over to her. "How's your day going?"

Clary shrugged. "I've had better days." She seemed tired, a bit overwhelmed. She picked up the cupcake Jace had offered her with a small smile, setting it aside for later. "How about you?" she asked, not looking up from her sandwich.

Jace knew she wasn't trying to be rude. She had days like this, where she was more quiet. Days where it was harder to make her smile. But Jace didn't mind. He always liked a challenge.

"Have you seen Megan Fox's thumb?"

Clary looked up, confused. "What? Why?"

"Because it's fucked up, look." Jace held out his phone to reveal a picture of Megan Fox smirking at the camera, her finger in her mouth as though she was trying to be seductive, but it gave a perfect view of her oddly shaped, almost triangular thumb. **(AN: Google it. It's nasty)**

Clary cackled at the picture, taking the phone from Jace to get a better look at it.

After that Clary seemed looser, less tense. She was more open to conversation and easier to joke around with.

The conversation turned from Megan Fox's thumb over to painting, and then the Avengers.

"You can't be half worthy," Clary argued. "You're either completely worthy or completely unworthy. There's no in between!"

"Of course there is. Cap could have been on the way to becoming worthy," Jace retorted.

"Listen," Clary said, pointing at him with her entire hand. "Cap has been worthy since sperm met egg. He didn't pick up the hammer because he didn't want to embarrass Thor. Because he's a good person. Bitch."

Jace smiled. He liked when they got into playful heated arguments like this. Especially when she playfully called him bitch. He tried not to stare as Clary so adorably shoved her entire cupcake into her mouth. He reached up with a napkin to wipe some frosting from her nose, but she just swatted his hand away, choosing instead to attempt to lick it off. The struggle was adorable, and Jace finally reached over and scraped the icing off with his index finger and licked it off.

Clary could feel her cheeks turning a bright red. She turned away, trying to hide her blush. There was no way Jace knew how damn hot he was. Everything he did made her panties wet. She chose instead to glance out the window in attempted casualness. From here, she could see Sebastian's shop across the street. Erchomai Coffee was a small brick building, with a black sign hanging over the dark wooden door. The few tables outside were mostly empty, except for a young couple eating lunch together and a man with dark hair looking in their direction.

Clary looked away, feeling ready to look back at Jace without creaming her pants, before her eyes snapped back to the man with dark hair.

It wasn't just any man.

It was Sebastian.

And he was staring right at her.

He met her eyes from across the street, smirking. He lifted his hand and waved before standing up and disappearing inside his shop.

Clary closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She knew she was safe here.

"You ok?" Jace asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Clary nodded her head. "I'm fine," she said, more trying to convince herself than him.

Jace clearly didn't believe her, but he (thankfully) didn't press her any harder.

He stood from their table, taking Clary's hand to guide her back to the kitchen. "I have a surprise for you," he said, opening the door for her.

Clary stood at the kitchen's island, her eyes shut and her back to the fridge as Jace opened the stainless steel doors and told her not to look. There was a clacking sound in front of her, like porcelain hitting marble. Though it was not loud or jarring, she flinched. Jace put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her, and told her to open her eyes.

On the counter in front of her was a triple decker cake with red frosting that read _Happy One Month Anniversary! (of working here)_

"I had Jordan make it for you. I told him you like carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I would have made it myself but I couldn't bake if my life depended on it." Clary giggled, still staring down at the cake. "And I made sure that Jordan didn't tell John about it. So you have this cake all to yourself."

Clary laughed again, feeling her eyes well with tears. "Thank you," she said, barely audible. "This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

Jace scoffed. "What do you mean? John does this kind of stuff for you all the time."

"Yeah, but the food never actually gets to me. I know it's the thought that counts, and I appreciate it, but having the food actually here with me… it's a whole new experience," Clary said, wiping a single tear from her cheek.

Jace and Clary sat together as she devoured the entire cake, after having cut him a small slice. Jace made conversation with her as she mumbled responses around mouthfuls of cake. But eventually they knew their lunch break would have to be over.

Jace left the kitchen so Clary could clean up and setup everything for tomorrow.

After setting out the cookies she had left to cool and scrubbing the dishes, Clary gathered all the garbage from around the kitchen and brought it outside to toss into the large dumpster at the back of the building.

Hands curled around her waist, pulling her against a tall and broad chest. "I've missed you," Sebastian whispered in her ear, shoving her chest against a wall and pulling her back against him as his hands creeped up her shirt.

"Get off me," she pleaded, already feeling the tears begin to fall. And to her surprise, he listened.

Or so she thought.

She turned just in time to see Alec slam his fist into Sebastian's jaw, followed by a kick to the chest. He picked Clary up by the arm and dragged her back inside, locking the back door behind them.

Alec sat Clary down on a stool, waiting for her to catch her breath. "You ok?" he asked, getting her a glass of water.

Clary covered her face with her hands, taking deep, heaving breaths as she attempted to calm down. She gulped down the water Alec had gotten her, taking one more deep breath, and stood. "I'm fine," she said.

Alec placed a hand on her shoulder, as though he was afraid she might collapse. "Alright. But we should probably tell Jace about this."

Clary shook her head violently. "Nononono you can't tell anyone about this. Not Jace. Not John. Not anyone."

"But—"

"Please, Alec. Promise me."

Alec gritted his teeth, clearly opposed to the idea. "Fine. But if he comes for you again, I'm telling Jace. And your cop brother."

Clary nodded her head, trying to keep her breathing even. She wiped her tears away quickly as the door swung open. "Clary," Raphael called. "We need your help out front."

Clary sighed, trying to keep it together as she went out front to help take orders.

The shop was busy for this time a day, the line of customers almost out the door. Jace stepped away from the till to let Clary stand at the register and take people's orders, scribbling on cups and shoving money into the register until the line finally started to dwindle. Everyone else was running around frantically making drinks and clearing tables. Clary was grateful that she could just stand in one place for a little while.

And god, did she need a coffee right about now.

As the crowd in the shop started to thin, Clary saw that Jace was standing at one of the back tables with Kaelie, her dainty fingers curled around Jace's arm as she pushed her chest out and smiled seductively. Jace was speaking to her quietly. He didn't seem to be pulling away from her or rejecting her advances.

Clary frowned, trying not to let it get to her. She knew that she and Jace weren't together. She knew that she never had a chance with him. Jace was big and strong and smart and handsome. He obviously prefered girls that were at his level. Girls that were tall and pretty and didn't have a panic attack every time there was a loud noise.

Clary tried to ignore them as Kaelie stepped closer to him, her breasts pressing against his chest.

Jace stepped away, finally moving her hand from his arm.

Clary scribbled another order onto a cup as she watched Jace try to walk away, closer to the register as Kaelie followed, bringing them close enough for her to hear their conversation.

"Come on baby, don't be like that," Kaelie whined, trying to grab his arm again, but he shrugged away from her.

"I've already told you a hundred times that I'm not interested. If you keep coming here just to hit on me without buying anything then I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Kaelie frowned, seeming like she was going to say something, but instead turned and left.

Jace walked back over towards the register and nudged Clary aside to take her place. She nudged back. "I got it," she said, nodding her head towards the drink making station. "You can pour the coffee."

Jace smiled, heading over to start filling orders.

He stood next to her while he poured someone's espresso. "So," Clary said awkwardly. "Why'd you turn her down?"

Jace smirked, not looking up from the espresso he was taking his sweet time to pour. "I've got my eye on someone else," he said, finally looking up and winking at her. Clary looked away, trying not to shit herself. "Plus," he added. "She has Megan Fox thumb," he whispered in her ear as he headed back to the drinks counter.

Clary laughed. "Can I help who's next?"

"I'd like a medium low fat soy macchiato with a little bit of sugar, but not too much sugar, topped with whipped cream, but not too much whipped cream. Three cherries on the side, no more, no less, and shaken, not stirred," the guy adjusted his hipster glasses and looked up from his phone, locking eyes with Clary. "You," he hissed, baring his teeth.

Clary smiled nervously, hoping that he would just pay and move on.

"I take it you don't have goat's milk," he sneered.

"We do, actually," Clary said, her nervous smile still not faltering. "Is that all?" she asked politely, scribbling the order onto the cup.

The douchebag smirked. "Nice to know you got fired. Shame they hired you here."

Clary could feel her face heating up, either with embarrassment or rage, she didn't care. All she knew was that she had never before wanted to run away and punch someone all at once. She opened her mouth to say something, to defend herself, to correct him, and decided against it.

"That will be $7.55 please."

The guy handed over his money, obviously disappointed that she didn't take the bait. He seemed to be staring at her arm when his smirk returned.

"Nice bruise," he said, slowly moving over to the pick up line. "Looks like someone finally gave you what you deserved. Just wish it had been me."

Clary looked down at her left bicep. She hadn't realized that Sebastian had left a mark. Just barely visible was a light purple bruise shaped like a hand curled around her arm.

Her breath hitched as she stepped away from the register, stumbling back and falling against Jace's chest. He caught her before she could fall over. "You ok?" he mumbled, pulling her away from the customers as he snapped at Isabelle to take over.

He pulled Clary back into the kitchen and sat her down in the same place Alec had before, turning her to face him. "Clary, it's ok."

She put her head down on the cool marble, counting each beat of the pounding of her heart, trying desperately to calm down. She clamped her hands over her ears, blocking out as much sound as she could. The clamor of the coffee shop outside, Alec yelling at the guy to leave, Jace's reassuring voice, everything, Everything but the pounding of her own heart.

A few minutes pass, and finally Clary felt like she could take a deep breath. Her hands shook wildly, and she couldn't still them no matter how hard she tried. But her breath was even. Or at least even enough.

"Clary, I think you should take the rest of the day off," Jace mumbled, rubbing slow and soothing circles on her back.

Clary shook her head, slowly getting to her feet. "I'm ok."

"I don't care," Jace retorted. "I'm sending you home. Don't worry, I'll still pay you for the hours. But I'm calling your brother and you're going home to sleep. Ok?"

After a moment, Clary nodded, standing more steadily.

"I'll walk you out." Jace placed a protective hand on her back, leading her out of the kitchen and through the front door.

"Finally, we've been standing here for almost an hour!"

Clary looked up to see Magnus and John standing on the sidewalk outside the shop. John was holding a bright blue balloon in one hand and a bright swirlie sucker in the other. "Clary!" he squeaked enthusiastically, like a child. His smile faded quickly when he saw Clary's red eyes and trembling hands. "What happened?"

Clary shook her head, not wanting to ruin his mood. "Nothing. Just had a bit of a rough day."

John's childish smile returned. He skipped over to Clary, scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Well your day's about to get a whole lot better! Magnus is taking us to the carnival!"

Magnus handed Clary a yellow balloon and a lollipop like John's, patting her on the head.

Jace chuckled. "Ok, well I guess you'll be properly taken care of."

 **Yaaaaayyyy so weird how this filler chapter somehow ended up being one of the longest and also has more plot than some other chapters? *cough* chapter 3 *cough***

 **Anyway, as we said before, we're needy bitches that require attention and validation so please review :)**

 **xoxo**

 **-R &A**


	6. Chapter 5

**Soooo when know we first started this we updated every Monday and Thursday. We missed this whole week. So we thought we're make it up to you by uploading two chapters in one day. And just so everyone's in the all-clear, there are two chapters left in this mini fic.**

Free Trip to the Hospital

Clary knocked on Jace's office door, trying not to drop the platter she had balanced in her left hand.

"Come in," Jace called.

Clary opened the door, sliding into the room and setting the tray down on Jace's desk.

"I finished my dessert for the Baker's Choice platter. It's mini strawberry shortcake with a chocolate drizzle." She smiled, twiddling her fingers as Jace reached over and took one of the small cakes from the tray, popping it into his mouth.

His eyes lit up and he smiled. "This is great. How many more can you make?"

"Oh, I already made fifty more than can fit on the platter."

"Damn, you work fast."

Clary smiled, letting out a small teetered laugh. "I think it's the coffee," she said, almost faster than Jace could understand.

"Don't usually drink coffee, huh?"

"Nooo," Clary squeaked with a big smile. "Well I gotta go finish my baking have a good day let me know if you need anything ok byyyeeeeeee." She waved dramatically and skipped out of the room, pausing to close the door gently behind her.

The door opened again and Clary skipped back inside. "Oops I forgot my platter byyyyyeeeeee," her high pitched, airy voice carried her out as she grabbed her platter and skipped out once again.

Jace smiled to himself, then turned back to his work. Clary had been a lot more upbeat since her little trip to the carnival with Magnus and John last week. The only problem was her whole mouth had been stained cotton candy blue for about three days.

After Jace had finally finished his paperwork for the morning, he stood and left his office for a bit of a break. The shop was full of people; this was their busiest time of day. Everyone was on their way to work, just stopping in for a cup of coffee and a quick snack.

Jace slid behind the counter to take a quick peak in the back and check on Clary.

He cracked the door and glanced in, where Clary was just lifting a baking sheet from one of the ovens and gliding across the room screaming "WWWWWWHHHEEEEEEEEEEE" like a little girl on a fun slide.

Jace shut the door, not wanting to deal with Clary and however many cups of coffee she had consumed since she had left his office a couple hours earlier.

As Jace was walking back from behind the counter, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned to see Clary's brother John, standing behind him with two cups of coffee.

"Do you have a minute to talk?" he asked, offering Jace one of the cups.

Jace smiled. "You sure you don't want to give that to your sister?"

"Oh no." John shook his head almost a little too violently. "Clary can't drink coffee. It makes her crazy hyper and crazy happy."

"Oh, so what's the problem?" Jace asked.

"The aftermath is just a mess. She gets horrible anxiety attacks and she can barely pick herself up off the ground."

Jace nodded, feeling awful but being too afraid to say anything at the moment.

He took the cup from John and nodded towards his office, walking over and closing the door behind them.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?" Jace asked, leaning against his desk and motioning for John to sit at one of the two visitor chairs.

"I wanted to talk about Clary, actually," he said, sitting down. "Usually I wouldn't say anything about this since she's very self-conscious about it, but since you're her new boss and you two seem to be getting kind of close, I thought you should know."

"If it's so important then why doesn't she just tell me?"

John sighed, setting his cup down on Jace's desk. "It's not really something she's comfortable with. She's never been able to talk about it. Whenever she tries it just leads to horrible anxiety attacks. It's just better if I tell you."

Jace nodded, sitting down next to John.

"It all started after our mother died. Our dad was never the best, but after mom was gone he just snapped. He would beat Clary because she reminded him of her. She was so little. But he didn't care. He beat her anyway. And he didn't go easy." John exhaled nervously, as though talking about this made him sick. He reached for his coffee, took a long sip, then kept talking. "I tried to take the hits for her, you know? Better me than her. But Valentine wouldn't have it. I mean the things he did to her…. She was never the same after that. She was always more fidgety and panicked and fragile. She can't even drive. Her hands shake too much." He shook his head. "She had to miss a whole year of school because she was hospitalized from the damage. As soon as I turned 18 I got her out of there. I got a job and I've been supporting us since. It's only recently that Clary could get a job that I've been able to lay off my double shifts. She said she didn't mind working and she wanted me to go back to school. When I was a kid I wasn't big enough to defend her properly, but now I'm a cop. I'm buff as hell. I can take care of anyone who tries to hurt her. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't be too hard on her. Don't put too much pressure on her either. She can't handle it as well as other people."

Jace nodded. "Don't worry. Clary is great. She's one of the best employees I've had here. We're lucky to have her."

John smiled, standing and shaking Jace's hand. "Thanks man, I really appreciate it."

He turned to leave, reaching for the doorknob. "Oh, and by the way," John turned back to face Jace. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Clary about this. It would just make her more anxious. Maybe just keep it between us?"

"Of course."

John smiled, exiting Jace's office and shutting the door behind him.

 **OoOoOoO**

Jace opened the door to the kitchen, holding two cups of hot chocolate. "Hey," he said, setting the cups down. "I figured you needed a break from the coffee."

Clary gave a tired, shaky smile. She set down her spoon covered in blue frosting and picked up the warm cup. "Thanks," she muttered as she brought the cup to her lips.

"No problem. It's been a pretty busy day today so I figured you could use a bit of a break." Jace walked over to the door and opened it for Clary, leading her out to their usual table by the window for them to sit.

"So aside from baking and painting , what else are you amazing at?"

Clary snorted, taking another sip of her hot chocolate. "Well, I really like drawing. Just art in general I guess," she spoke quietly, as though she was afraid someone would shush her.

"Really? What a coincidence," Jace smiled. "I've been told I'm a work of art."

Clary giggled, blushing slightly as she lifted her cup again to hide her red cheeks. "I'm also pretty good at some basic magic tricks."

Jace smiled. "No way, really?"

"Yeah," Clary shrugged. "John was always trying to figure out all those tricks, so if he ever met Magnus one day he could impress him and convince him to adopt him. I picked up a lot of it from him. But don't mention it to him. He really sucks."

Jace chuckled, taking another sip of hot chocolate. "Alright, I won't tell."

"What about you?" she asked.

Jace shrugged. "I guess I can play the piano."

Clary's eyes lit up. "Really? I love piano! I always wanted to learn." Her voice was less quiet now, a bit calmer too.

Jace smiled brightly. "Well maybe I could give you a few lessons sometime."

Clary giggled adorably, draining the last of her hot chocolate. Jace laughed too, just because he loved seeing her pretty smile. He reached up and tucked a stray lock of red hair behind Clary's ear. The moment was perfect. Until he looked to the side, out the window, where he saw Sebastian crossing the street toward his shop.

"I'll be right back," Jace muttered, standing from his chair.

"It's ok," Clary said lightheartedly. "I have to get back to baking anyway."

Jace nodded, making sure she made it back into the kitchen before he stepped outside to greet his lovely neighbour.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, just thought I'd pop over and ask you to stop hitting on my girlfriend." Seb gave a tense smile, one that showed he clearly wasn't happy.

"What? I have never once hit on Kaelie."

"I'm not talking about Kaelie, asshole. I'm talking about Clary."

Jace laughed. "Yeah right. If you seriously expect me to believe that Clary is your girlfr-"

"Why do you think she quit? She didn't want work to affect our relationship."

Jace shook his head.

Seb scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I don't care if you don't believe me. Just don't touch my girlfriend, alright?" He turned and walked back towards his shop across the street, leaving Jace standing alone.

Jace turned back, a bit dumbfounded, and headed back to the kitchen.

He knocked before he entered this time.

"Uh… Come in?" Clary called from behind the door, sounding confused.

Jace entered, closing the door as quietly as he could behind him before walking over to Clary's side.

"I just wanted to apologize for earlier," he muttered, not meeting her eyes.

"Apologize for what?"

"I didn't realize I was making you uncomfortable before when we were talking. It's ok if you didn't want to tell me you had a boyfriend. I shouldn't have been talking to you that way without your permission."

"Boyfriend?" Clary said, her voice almost a whimper.

"Yeah, Sebastian came over to talk to me. I'm sorry. I didn't know you two were dating. I promise I won't talk to you that way anymore."

Clary shook her head. Her breathing became heavier, faster as she clutched at her neck like she was choking. "Not… He's not…"

Jace grabbed her wrists gently and pulled them away from where she was clawing at her throat. "Hey, it's ok. I'm not mad. You're not in trouble. Everything's ok."

Clary just shook her head, her hyperventilating became more frantic as her eyes darted around the room.

Jace let go of her wrists, putting his arms around her as softly as he could, trying his best not to make her feel like he was invading her space. "It's ok. You're fine. Everything is fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, ok? Just breathe. Everything's ok, you're safe. I promise."

Clary nodded, trying to calm her breathing as she leaned in closer to Jace's chest. He held her closely and rubbed her back, waiting for her to catch her breath.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just listening to each other's breathing.

When Jace was sure she had calmed down, he pulled away from her, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes.

The door swung open violently, startling them both.

Alec stood in the doorway, his hair a mess, his tie loose around his neck. "It's Maryse," he said his eyes locking on Jace. "She was in a car accident. We need to get to the hospital now."

Jace's eyes widened. He looked helpless, glancing down at Clary.

She just shook her head, smiling lightly. "It's ok. I don't mind closing up. I used to do it all the time at my old job. And besides, the shop closes in a half hour anyway."

Jace hugged her gently, as though he was still afraid he might break her. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"There's something I need to tell you. Can we talk tomorrow?"

Jace nodded, pulling away from Clary as he followed Alec out of the kitchen.

 **OoOoOoO**

Maryse Lightwood clutched at her throat, coughing a raspy cough and wheezing like an old asthmatic. "I don't think I have much time left. I can feel the life leaving my body. The light is so close, Alec." She gripped her son tighter, pulling him closer. "It's so close."

The doctor that stood at the foot of her bed cleared his throat, looking down at her chart again. "Ma'am, as we've already told you, we've run all the tests that you asked us to run. There is nothing wrong with you. There isn't even anything wrong with your car. The man barely grazed you. You're free to drive home as soon as possible."

Maryse gasped, reaching up towards the heavens. "Papa? Is that you? I can hear him calling me."

The doctor sighed, dropping the clipboard on the ground and walking out the door.

Once the door clicked shut, Maryse shot up, smiling at all her kids. "I can't believe we're all together again! It's been so long since we've had the whole family in one room!"

"Max and dad aren't here," Isabelle muttered.

"SHUT UP PATRICE." Maryse howled.

"Mom," Alec sighed. "We had dinner together last night."

"Hush, Alec. I had an awful near death experience today and the only thing I could think of was that I was going to leave this world without all my kids being happily married. So Jace, is there anyone new in your life?"

"Well there's Clary," Isabelle smirked, leaning back against the wall.

Maryse gasped, much like she did before when she was pretending to die. "Clary? She sounds lovely. Tell me all about her. Does she have broad hips? Is she Catholic?"

Jace rolled his eyes, wanting nothing more than to leave. "She has a boyfriend, actually. So that's not happening."

"A boyfriend? Who?"

Jace shrugged, pretending not to care. "Sebastian."

 **Woooooooowwwww plot twist**

 **Please be sure to leave a review! As we are desperate attention hoes and seek validation! Thank you!**

 **xoxo**

 **-R &A**


	7. Chapter 6

**SUUUUUUUUUUUCK MA DIACK**

 **-R**

Free Beating

"A boyfriend? Who?"

Jace shrugged, pretending not to care. "Sebastian."

"What? No." Alec said, moving away from Maryse and closer to Jace. "Sebastian used to beat Clary. I walked in on them once and he was beating the shit out of her. She was all bruised and bleeding and crying. She quit and ran out. There's no way they're dating."

"But we left her alone there." Jace whispered.

Jace and Alec looked at each other before running out the door.

 **OoOoOoO**

Clary ran the broom across the floor again, gathering all the cupcake crumbs and dirty napkins that had been scattered on the floor throughout the day. She also found an earring among the trash, which she picked up and placed on the counter.

She swept all of the small piles into one large pile in the center of the room when she heard the bell ring as someone behind her swung the door open. "Sorry, we're closed," she called over her shoulder, bending over with the spade to collect all the crumbs and trash gathered in a small pile on the floor.

"I definitely miss seeing that around the shop," came a voice from behind her. Sebastian. "Not gonna lie though, I do miss the mini skirt."

Clary turned around slowly, trying to hide her panic. The broom and spade clattered to the ground, unwilling to stay in her shaking grasp. "What are you doing here?" She asked, forcing her voice to remain steady.

There was a clicking sound as Sebastian threw the lock. He took a small step forward, still not too far from door. His hands were in his pockets, his chin up-tilted as his eyes dragged up and down her body, each sweep making her feel more and more uncomfortable. "I just came to see my favourite little cashier. I really miss having you around, you know."

Clary shook her head, backing away. "You need to leave."

"Oh come on baby, don't be like that," Sebastian smirked, reaching behind him to lock the door. "I've been so patient since you left two months ago. I let you go off and get this shitty job in this shitty café. But now it's time for you to come back to me."

Clary shook her head again, trying to keep her breathing as even as possible. "You need to leave," she repeated, this time unable to keep the tears from creeping into her words.

Sebastian shook his head, stepping forward again, a wicked smile creeped onto his face as he got closer. "No Clary, you don't understand. I'm not going anywhere. You're mine. Now and forever." He continued to take steps forwards as Clary took steps back, until he obviously became impatient, grabbing her by the waist and shoving her against the wall. Seb leaned in, his lips almost touching hers as his fingers began to slither up her shirt.

Clary whimpered, trying her best to shove his hands away. Each time he let her push away only a few centimeters before overpowering her again and again, each time, his hands crept farther to their destination.

He ground his hips against hers, breathing his hot breath against her neck. "You like that, don't you, you little slut." He grabbed her legs, lifting her and wrapping them around his hips. "You know, I was really angry about you leaving. It really pissed me off to see you whore yourself around like that. But I forgive you. I promise I'll be gentle."

Clary sobbed, finally letting the tears fall, mustering as much strength as she could to push him away. She places her hands on his collar bones and pushed. But her hand slipped, and her fist smashed into Sebastian's clenched jaw.

He staggered back, more so in surprise than pain, letting Clary fall to the floor.

Clary stood, running for the door as fast as she could. But Seb caught her around the waist, pulling her back against his chest.

He leaned down, his lips just brushing her ear. "I was going to be nice. You really shouldn't have done that."

Clary tried again to break free, but his grip was like iron. He spun her around, gripping her arm at the place of the old bruise as his other hand came down to meet her jaw. "Why do you even bother?" he asked, hitting her again. "You know I'm the only person who will ever really love you." Backhand. "Your brother resents you for holding him back." He grabbed her by the throat, shoving her against the wall. "Jace only ever pitied you. He never really cared about you."

Clary kicked her feet as Sebastian began to slowly lift her off the ground, crushing her throat, making it impossible to breathe. "No one will ever love you. Because you're worthless. And useless. And helpless. And pathetic. And so selfish for expecting everyone around you to deal with your fake little panic attacks."

Clary kicked her feet as hard as she could, trying her best to hit Sebastian somewhere that would hurt, fighting for air, but his grip did not falter. She could feel her vision going dark, losing all sense of reality.

Her face met something cold and hard, the floor, she realized, and the harsh grip left her throat, leaving her gasping for air.

Before she could even take her first breath, she was pinned to the ground, her arms above her head and her legs by Sebastian's weight as he lay on top of her.

"You're mine," he growled, forcing her to spread her legs. "You'll always be mine."

Clary whimpered, trying her best to close her legs, but she wasn't strong enough. She couldn't—

There was a loud crash, like wood splintering, and the weight was lifted off of her. She took a deep breath, struggling to sit up as she continued to suck air into her lungs. It took a moment for the black spots to clear from her vision. One of her eyes was already swollen shut, so she had to turn almost all the way around to see what was happening.

John threw Sebastian against the wall, smashing his fist into his jaw again and again, Seb trying to throw his hands up to protect himself, but John had the element of surprise, and he was taking full advantage.

Seb finally got in a hit, knocking John back for a moment before he came back swinging, hardly phased by the punch. There was no mercy in John's punches. He just kept swinging, and Clary knew he was thinking of Valentine.

Sebastian crumble to the floor, finally beaten, and John handcuffed his hands behind his back.

Clary blinked, trying to register what just happened. It all happened so fast, and it was finally over.

She tried to stand, tried to push herself to her feet, but a wave of dizziness and nausea hit her, and she fell back to the floor, her head almost hitting the tiles before someone caught her. At first she thought it was John, but then she saw the hair in the fuzzy silhouette was the wrong shade of blond. She looked over and saw her brother still bent over Sebastian, reading him his rights.

"Jace," she mumbled, barely able to keep her one good eye open.

"I'm here, Clary, just hold on." His voice was shaking. He looked so worried. "Don't worry, Alec is calling an ambulance."

Clary could hear Alec's worried tone somewhere in the background, but she was too busy examining Jace's face. She lifted a shaking, bruised hand and caressed his brow, trying to smooth away the lines. "Is this the part where you start tearing off strips of your shirt to bind my wounds?" She said, a smile spreading across her aching face.

Jace laughed, more for Clary's benefit, she could tell. "If you wanted me to take my clothes off, you should have just asked."

Clary chuckled, a low breathy sound, before her eyes fluttered closed. Jace shook her gently, saying her name, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't fight her way to the surface, and decided to let the darkness consume her.

 **Thanks for reading! Let us know what you think.**

 **Also, to the one Guest that commented on our Meghan Fox thumb jokes, is it because you have it too? Nayuhsty.**

 **To BearMyChildren you can't make us ;) Biotch.**

 **To AnnieHerondaleLightwood and everyone else who said this was a crack fic, what do you think now bitch?**

 **Because A thinks you are all dumb I'm suppose to tell you there's one chapter left even though we told you last chapter there was two so if you can count you'd know this.**

 **XOXO**

 **-RoOoOoOoA**


	8. Chapter 7

**Yaayyy we finally made it to the final chapter! Hope you guys enjoy**

Free Near Death Experience

Clary's eyes fluttered open. She squinted at the bright, artificial lights above her, watching as the spots cleared from her vision. She took a deep breath, feeling a sharp pain in her chest, and sat up slowly.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, gently holding her in place before she could sit up all the way. "Take it easy," Jace said, gently nudging her back towards her pillow. "You've been out for almost two days."

Clary fell back against the pillow, not feeling too surprised. This wasn't her first time waking up beaten in a hospital bed. She yawned, her face aching as she did. She felt a cool breeze on her feet and began to pull them back under the covers. A hand clapped onto each of her ankles. "Nonono sweetie, they're still drying!"

Clary finally looked down to see Magnus standing over her, fanning her freshly painted toenails with a small chinese fan.

"Where's John?'' Clary asked, not seeing him anywhere in the room.

"He went home about an hour ago to shower," Jordan said, leaning against the doorframe. "He smelled awful, since he was just sitting here all day eating subway non-stop. I'm actually kind of worried about him. He ate four whole subs in an hour."

Clary gasped. "Only four subs? He's so worried about me he's—"

"He's over-eating, yeah I—"

"HE'S STARVING HIMSELF!" Clary wiped a tear from her cheek. "Jordan, you need to bring him back here so he can see that I'm ok. Then bring him to an all-you-can-eat buffet."

Jordan shook his head, trying not to laugh and walked out the door.

Once Jordan was out the door, Clary turned back to Jace. "There's something I need to tell you," she said, remembering their talk from a few days ago.

Jace sat at the edge of her bed, taking her hand in his.

"I'll leave you two alone," Magnus said, lighting a large candle on the bedside tray and dimming the lights on his way out.

Once Magnus was gone, Clary turned back to Jace. "Sebastian isn't my boyfriend," she said, almost as though she was admitting something embarrassing. "You know, if you couldn't already tell from him beating the shit out of me." Clary chuckled. Jace didn't.

"You seem to be taking this very lightly," Jace mumbled, concerned.

Clary just shrugged, or lifted her shoulders as much as she could with broken ribs and lung contusions. "This isn't my first time having the shit beat out of me," she said, which only seemed to concern Jace even more. "Also I'm on a looooooooooooot of drugs." Jace finally chuckled, barely.

"So," Clary continued. "Now that you know I'm on the market, how about we get some spaghetti?"

Jace smiled, this time for real. "Sure. Spaghetti sounds great."

"No actually, how about lasagne."

"Why don't you choose when we get to the restaurant?"

Clary nodded her head, smiling at the idea of having lasagne and Jace at the same time. "Jace, I'm ready to take the next step in our relationship. There's something I want to try with you that I've never tried with anyone else."

Jace's cheeks turned a red as bright as Clary's hair. "Clary," he said, stopping her before she could continue. "I know that you've been through a lot, and I really like you, and I just want you to know that I'm not going to pressure you into anything that you don't want to do, and I just want you to feel comfortable and safe and—"

"I want to try Korean barbecue."

Jace blinked. "Wait, what?"

"There," she said, covering her eyes with the back of her hand. "I said it."

"Clary, you don't get it. I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours. Now and forever. Of course I'll try Korean barbeque with you."

Clary smiled. "You can't tell because my eye is swollen shut, but I'm winking."

John burst through the door, falling to his knees beside his sister's bed. "Clary! Are you ok?"

Clary smiled, patting her brother on the head. "Yes John. Just a few bruises."

"Does it hurt?" He asked.

Clary shook her head. "No. Drugs."

"Ah," John nodded. "And just so you know, Sebastian won't ever bother you again. I've got that asshole locked up."

"Yeah, John finally made his first arrest," Jordan added as he leaned back against the doorframe. "It's about time."

"I wanted it to be special," John complained.

"Yeah Jordan," Magnus agreed as he entered the room with Alec on tail. "Who was your first arrest?"

John cackled. "He arrested a 97 year old woman."

Magnus laughed. "For what?"

"Public indecency. She was dancing naked in a fountain," Jordan admitted, his cheeks turning red.

"Yes, yes, as hilarious as that is," Magnus said, interrupting everyone's laughter. "I have news." He held out a stack of papers and offered them to Clary. "Alec and I are now the proud new parents of a beautiful baby girl and boy!"

Everyone cheered and congratulated them, the noise blocking out the sound of Alec's confusion.

"Yes, my beautiful new babies, Jonathan and Clarissa, whom I adopted this morning."

"What?" Alec demanded as John, without questioning anything, immediately began to cry tears of joy. "They're adults. You can't adopt them."

"Alec, don't question it. It's already done. I bought the house."

"What house?" Alec demanded, sounding more and more outraged with each word.

"Yeah, what house?" Clary squeaked, suddenly sounding like a 5 year old.

Magnus smiled. "I bought a house in Brooklyn! We're moving in this weekend."

Clary flapped her arms like a child. "Do we get our own rooms?"

Alec shook his head. "You know what? Sure. Whatever"

John jumped up, throwing himself into Magnus's arms. "Father!" he cried, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"No," Magnus said, petting John's hair. "You can call me Papa."

OoOoOoO

Two Years Later

Jace led Clary to the right spot to stand. She knew from the feel of the sidewalk and the sounds on the street that she was standing in front of Herondale Coffee Co. But Jace still refused to remove the blindfold.

"Ok, are you ready?" Jace asked, an excited squeak in his voice.

"I've been ready this entire time."

Jace laughed, finally untying the cloth and letting it fall from in front of her eyes. Before her stood the little antique shop that now stands where Erchomai Coffee once did, the old business having lost its owner to prison and its original structure to John's sledge hammer.

"Jace, what am I looking at? That antique shop has been there for months."

"Turn around."

Clary did a 180 so she was now facing her boyfriend. "Yep. Now I'm looking at you. You're very pretty, but why was I interrupted from staring at you in our apartment to staring at you in the street?"

Jace's smile broadened as he pointed up towards his coffee shop's sign, which Clary now notices was now painted the same blue as the door, with brass letters that read Clary's Place.

Clary gaped, not sure how to react. She dragged her eyes back down from the sign to see Jace on one knee, holding a muffin. When Clary took a few steps forward she saw that it was in fact a mango muffin, just like the one she had made the first time she baked for him. But this one had an engagement ring stuck in the top of it.

"Clary Fray, will you—"

"YES YES YES!" Clary screamed, taking the muffin from him and slipping the ring onto her finger. Jace wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck and shoved the muffin down her throat in one bite. "Iloveyousomuch," she said around cheeks full of muffin.

muffin

 **Yay it's finally over.**

 **Anyway, keep a look out for our next story. We should be uploading it some time soon (lol 2019)**

 **Please review!**

 **xoxo**

 **-RandA**


End file.
